Lighting unit mounting



A. N. TAYLOR ET AL 2,138,077 LIGHTING UNIT MOUNTING Nov. 29, 1938.

Filed Feb. 15, 1937 INVENTORS ARNOLD N.TAYLOR NORBERT P. WORDEN and electrical terminals and connections.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTING UNIT MOUNTING g an Application February 15, 1937, Serial No. 125,847

Claims.

This invention relates generally to lamps for motor vehicles and refers more particularly to that type designed for use as head lamps.

In the past it has been customary to form such lamps with an outer casing of the desired configuration and to mount within the casing as a subassembly the essential elements of the lamp such as the reflector, bulb socket, and the electrical terminals or connections. However, the development of lamps has progressed to such a point that it is now desirable to use a filament instead of a bulb as the lighting element and to mount within the lamp casing as a hermeticallysealed lighting unit a reflector, filament, lens Thus, it has been necessary to redesign the mountings for such elements.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide the hermeticallysealed units with mountings that will effectively hold the units in proper position relative to the lamp casing.

Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made a more apparent as this description proceeds, es-

pecially when considered in connection with accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a lamp embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is a detail View of the supporting ring for the lighting unit.

Referring now to the drawing, A is the lamp casing, B is the hermetically-sealed unit, and C is the mounting embodying our invention for said unit.

In the present instance, the casing A may be any desired configuration and may be mounted in any suitable manner upon the motor vehicle. Preferably the casing A is elongated in form and is provided at its forward end with an opening I in which the unit B is mounted.

The hermetically-sealed lighting unit B may be made in any suitable manner and preferably has a shell of heat resisting glass, known in the trade as Pyrex, provided with meeting front and rear walls 2 and 3 and an annular bead 4 at the juncture of said walls. The front wall 2 of this shell comprises the rings, while the front face of the rear wall 3 has a coating of suitable material such as aluminum forming a reflector 5. A suitable filament 6 is carried by the rear wall 3 at the center thereof and is provided with suitable electrical terminals 1 for connection with electric conductors (not shown).

The mounting C for the unit B preferably comthe prises a split ring 8, substantially C-shaped springs 9 and I0, and a screw H. Preferably the ring 8 has achannel-shaped portion l4 receiving the bead .4 of the unit and an inwardly projecting, open, return-bent flange l5. As shown, the base of the channel-shaped portion I4 is provided with an outwardly opening, circumferentially extending, shallow channel I6 for receiving the edges of the opening I in the casing, the outside diameter of the inner side wall l6a of said channel being less than the diameterof the opening I so that the wall l6a may enter the opening to permit engagement of the base of said channel IS with the edges of said opening, and the outside diameter of the outer side wall I61) of said channel being greater than the diameter of the opening I whereby said wall lBb will abut and overhang the casing about said opening and thereby limit inward movement of the unit B in the casing. The return-bent flange N3 of the ring is disposed in substantially concentric relation to the forward end portion I! of the casing. Lugs l9 are struck out from the ring 8 upon opposite sides of the split 20 and are engaged by a screw 2! to hold the ring tightly clamped upon the unit B.

The springs 9 and I0 are opposed to one another at diametrically opposite points of the casing and are located between the return-bent flange l5 of the ring and the forward end portion [1 of the casing. Preferably the spring 9 is riveted at one end to the casing A and has its other end 22 free for movement to and from the flange [5 of the ring. The spring I0 is riveted at one end to the flange l5 of the ring and has its other end 23 free and bearing against the forward end portion ll of the casing. Initially the free end 22 of the spring 9 is spaced from the flange I5 of the ring, as illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1, to permit the insertion of the ring 8 and unit B into the casing A, but is subsequently pressed firmly against said flange l5 by the screw ll after the parts are in place so that the unit B may be held against outward displacement from the opening I in the casing. In this connection it will be noted that the screw II is operable from the ouside of the casing A and threadedly engages a nut 24 swedged or otherwise rigidly secured to the casing A. Preferably the inner end 25 of said screw is rounded for engagement with the free end 22 of the spring.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A lamp having in combination, a casing provided with an opening, a lighting element within said casing for projecting light rays through said opening, a mounting for said element including a ring mounted in said opening and holding said element, said ring having means engageable with the casing to limit insertion of the element into the casing and having a flange substantially concentric With the adjacent portion of the casing, yieldable elements extending between said flange and the adjacent portion of said casing, one of said yieldable elements being normally contracted to permit insertion of the lighting element into the casing, and means for expanding said normally contracted element to efiectively hold the lighting element against outward displacement.

2. A lamp having in combination, a casing provided with an opening, a lighting unit in said opening, and a mounting for said unit including a holder for the unit mounted in the opening and having means engageable with the casing to limit inward movement of the unit relative to the casing, yieldable means associated with the holder and casing for holding the unit against outward displacement, and a follower for the yieldable means carried by and operable from the outside of said casing.

3. A lamp having in combination, a casing provided with an opening, a lighting unit in said opening, and a mounting for said unit including a ring mounted in said opening and holding said unit, said ring having a projection within and substantially concentric with the casing, yieldable means extending between said concentric elements, and means engageable with a part of said yieldable means and operable from the outside of the casing for holding the unit against outward displacement.

4. A lamp having in combination, a casing provided with an opening, a lighting unit in said opening, a mounting for said unit including a ring adjustably mounted in saidopening and holding said unit, said ring having means engageable with the casing to limit movement of the unit into the casing and having a flange within and substantially concentric with the adjacent portion of the casing, and substantially C-shaped springs extending between the flange and the adjacent portion of the casing for holding the unit against outward displacement.

5. A lamp having in combination, a casing provided with an opening, an electric lighting element within the casing, and a mounting for said element including a holder for the element mounted in said opening, said holder having means engageable with the casing to limit inward movement of the element relative to the casing and provided within the casing with a rearward extension, yieldable means associated with the casing and extension to limit outward movement of the element relative to said casing, and adjustable means extending through a wall of said casing and engaging a portion of said yieldable means.

ARNOLD N. TAYLOR. NORZBER-T P. WORDEN. 

